Basics: Red Pasta Sauce

This is a basics recipe. It's a great simple sauce that's good on plain boiled pasta or easily combined with other things.

Ingredients:

olive oil, 3T
onion, 1 L, halved and thinly sliced (about 5 c. loosely packed)
garlic, 4 cloves, minced
1 T each of dried:
basil
oregano
thyme
crushed tomatoes, 24 oz. can
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil to hot. Add the onions and 1/2 t salt. Cook until soft and translucent. Turn heat to low.
2. Add garlic, and all dried herbs. Heat through then let cook on low for 3-4 min. to sweeten the onions.
3. Turn heat to high and add crushed tomatoes. Bring to bubbling, then turn heat down to simmer.
4. Let simmer for at least 10 min. and up to a half hour, adding water if it gets so thick that it's bubbling out of the pan a lot.

Serve over cooked pasta. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and/or chopped Kalamata olives and/or chopped fresh basil.

Basics: Hamburger with Beef Bacon & Onions

This is a basics recipe for beginning cooks. It deals with basic foods and has more directions.

This recipe is a twist on the basic hamburger so that it has "supercharged" flavor. The key is the beef bacon. I've only ever seen it at Reineer Farms stand when they sell on Rittenhouse Square on Saturdays. Beef bacon is a fatty cut of beef that's been cured. It doesn't produce as much fat as pork bacon, but the fat is extremely flavorful. If you can't get it, I think you could substitute about half as much pork bacon. You'll never want another hamburger!
Serves: 4

Equipment:
large, sharp knife
cutting board
measuring spoons
10-14 in. diameter skillet
spatula

Ingredients:
ground beef, 1 lb.
beef bacon, 4 oz. (substitute pork bacon, 2 oz.)
onion, 1 medium
olive oil, 2 Tablespoons

Directions:

1. Slice the onion in half through the stem end. Cut off the stem end and tip of each half--about 1/4 in. slice. Discard. With a paring knife or your fingers, peel off the outer skin of the onion. Place the onion flat side down on the board. With a large sharp knife, cut thin slices, starting at the stem or tip and working down. It should come off in half-circle thin pieces.
2. In a large skillet (I like 14" diameter, but 12 or 10 will do), turn the heat on high and add 2 T olive oil to the pan. Wait about a minute for it to heat up. Add the onions. They should sizzle.
3. Slowly stir the onions with a spatula for about three minutes or until the onions are translucent and soft. Lower the heat to its lowest setting. Let onions cook (caramelize) for about five minutes, stirring every minute or so.
4. Meanwhile, dice your bacon into pieces about 1/4 in. on a side. The easiest way is to first cut in into 2 in. pieces. Stack the pieces and then cut them the long way into strips about 1/4 in. wide, probably about three or four strips. Line up the strips and cut across all of them at once, 1/4 in. at a time. Each cut will give you 1/4 in. squares. (It really doesn't matter if they're not exactly 1/4 in. or all the same size.)
5. After the onions are caramelized, push them out the the edges of the pan, leaving the center open. Put the bacon pieces in the center and turn the heat to medium. Let them sit there for a minute, then stir them. Keep stirring them occasionally (every minute or so) until the fat part of the pieces is translucent (probably 4 minutes.) Now stir them together with the onions and cook for another minute.
6. While the bacon is cooking, make your beef patties. Divide your pound of ground beef into 4 sections. Roll each section into a ball. Flatten the ball in your hand so that the center is about 1/2 in. thick. For the edges to be roundish.
7. When your bacon and onions are cooked, push them out to the sides of the pan (or remove them to a bowl if there isn't space). Make a clearing in the center big enough for the patties. Put the heat on high and add the patties.
8. After 2 min. on one side, flip the patties and turn the heat to medium. Cook for another 3 minutes. You can cut into one to see if it's done. It can be pink in the middle, but NOT translucent and wet looking (that's raw). If you like them well done, flip again and cook another 3 min.
9. When your burgers are done, add the onion & bacon if you took it out. Serve each burger on a plate and top with a generous dollop of onion and bacon. Add ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste. (May take less salt than you think because the bacon has a lot of salt in it.)

Enjoy!

Chicken-Apple Sausage with Bow Tie Pasta and Balsamic-Apple Reduction

This recipe is basically a meat and pasta mix, but the critical part that made it worth repeating is the reduced Balsamic vinegar with minced dried apple. That's a great binder and flavor combination with the sausaage. Made this a few weeks ago, but think I remember it.
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Chicken Apple Sausage Links, 24 oz. sliced as thinly as possible. (I used a local frozen product from Fair Foods. Was eight pieces and very moist.)

olive oil, 2 T
onion, 1 L, thinly sliced
dried bow tie pasta, 1 lb.
Balsamic vinegar, 1/4 c.
dried apple, 2T minced
peanuts, roasted and unsalted, 1/3 c.
Parmesan cheese, grated, 1/4 c.
basil, fresh, 4-5 leaves minced.
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Set a pot of water to boiling for the pasta. Cook it until al dente and drain.


2. While pasta is cooking, slice and saute onions in a skillet. Let onions caramelize.


3. Put Balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Turn to simmer. Add 1 T of minced apple and reserve rest for garnish. Simmer vinegar until reduced by half so only 2 T remain.


4. Meanwhile, add sausage to onions and heat on medium to high until sausage cooked through. Add another T of oil if seems dry.


5. Add the reduced vinegar and mix in. Reduce heat.


6. One cooking spoon at a time, add cooked pasta and mix in. When all of the pasta is mixed in, add salt and pepper to taste (probably at least 1/2 t of salt).


7. Serve in bowls and garnish with two pinches each of minced apple, minced basil, and grated Parmesan.

Polenta and Black Bean Stuffed Pablanos with Peach Salsa

This was a recipe inspired by a suggestion from the checker at Fair Foods when we were talking about how beautiful the local chile pablanos were. She said friends grilled them and stuffed them with polenta and black beans. I had to try it. The result was a great summer hot day dish.
I made this for two but the recipe is for 8--two peppers each.

Ingredients
chile pablanos, 8

Stuffing
dry black beans, 2 c or equivalent for canned beans
olive oil, 2T
white onion, 1 med, sliced
garlic, 2 cl, minced
cumin, 1t
prepared red salsa (I used Trader Joe's), about 1 c
water or broth, about 1 cup total
dry polenta, about 1.5 cups
water or stock, enough to follow package directions
Parmesan, grated, about 1/2 cup
butter, about 1T

Salsa
white onion, 1 med, chopped
olive oil, 3T (I used 1T olive oil and 2T of a slow-cooked pureed garlic in oil. You can substitute 3 med cloves fresh garlic instead.)
garlic, 3 med cloves, finely minced
jalapeno pepper, 1, finely minced (I used 1/2 but it needed more.)
tomato in season, about 1.5c diced; (For out-of-season, I would use canned Muir Glen oven roasted diced tomato.)
ripe peach, 1 med, peeled and diced
cilantro, 1/4 c chopped
(optional) baby tomatillas, whole with paper skins removed. (I happened to get these in the market. They were tiny--about 1/2 in. diameter or smaller--and very sweet. You could substitute regular tomatillas chopped small, but then add more peach because the tomitillas will be sour. You could also use grape tomatoes quartered instead of the tomatillas if you want to add sweetness.)

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

Wonderful Winter Pizza

Though we're in the beginning of spring, this was a dish I first made in winter with mostly local ingredients. The key is the lamb sausage with spinach and feta from Jamison's Farm. You could use another sausage with some feta and spinach in it (such as chicken) or use a hearty Italian, but the Jamison's lamb really makes the dish. I get it at Fair Foods Farm Stand (of course.)

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:
about 1 lb. lamb sausage with feta and spinach, sliced as thinly as possible. (Easier to do if the sausage is still a little frozen.)
3 med. onions, thinly sliced
about 1/4 c. sherry or white wine (could use water if not on hand)
garlic--either 1 head or 1/4 c. garlic scape tapenade if available (spring/summer thing); garlic finely minced
1/3 c. olive oil + 4T
4 oz. feta cheese
1 whole wheat pizza dough (for 18 in. standard pizza)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F

1. Combine the garlic with the 1/3 cup of oil. (I had an old jar of garlic scape tapenade--just crushed scapes in oil really--that was still good from summer. Used that once and it was awesome.) Let sit while you do the rest of the prep.
2. Slice your onions and saute them in 3 T olive oil on high; when soft reduce heat to low and caramelize for at least 10 min. Occasionally (2 or 3 times) deglaze the pan with sherry or wine or water. Just enough liquid to loosen whatever's sticking.
3. In 1 T of oil, saute sausage on med to low heat, stirring occasionally. Best if in cast iron skillet. Cook until all liquid is gone from pan and sausage is getting a little crispy.
4. While your onions and sausage are cooking, work on rolling out your pizza dough (or get someone to help you with it.)
5. When the pizza dough is spread, sprinkle corn meal on your pizza pan or cookie sheet and then put the rolled dough on it.
6. Using a brush, cover the pizza dough with the oil-garlic mixture. If you need to, spoon out the garlic and spread it. Don't just use the oil.
7. Spread the cooked onions across the pizza.
8. Spread the cooked sausage across the pizza.
9. Crumble the feta cheese across it evenly.
10. Place pizza in oven and cook until edge of crust is nicely brown -- around 10 min.

Let cool slightly. I usually serve it with a local hothouse greens (in winter) with a Balsamic vinaigrette. The pizza is quite rich and 1-2 pieces is plenty for a serving, assuming 8 pieces from the pie.

Crispy Pork Delight

This was basically a leftover with meat dish, but turned out so well, I had to write it down. All of the ingredients except the rice, sauces and oil are local.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground pork (I used coarsely ground)
2/3 c. cooked short grain brown rice (Short grain makes a difference, but you could use long.)
1 egg
1/2 c. minced leek
3 T soy sauce
1 t mirin
enough vegetable oil to cover pan about 1/8 in. deep

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the port and rice. I use my hands for this. Messy but effective.
2. Add the egg and combine that in as well.
3. Add the leek, soy, and mirin. Add some salt and pepper (few shakes each) and combine.
4. Make small patties from the mixture--about 2 in. across and about 1/3 in. thick is good, but any shape will do.
5. Heat oil in pan to almost smoking. Add patties and fry until crispy on one side. Flip and cook the other side until crispy. Take one out and break it in half to check for doneness. If at all pink, flip again and cook another minute or so.

This dish is great with some local cabbage sliced up and dressed with a simple Balsamic vinaigrette. If you have some baked sweet potatoes, that's a great complement as well.

--JAH

Blissful Hawaiian Butter Fish

This was, according to my family, one of the, if not THE best fish I've ever prepared. I think that's largely due to the fact that it was in incredible piece of fish, but I thought I'd write down the preparation in case such a choice fillet comes my way again--or yours.

The fish was a 1.5 lb. fillet of Hawaiian Butter Fish (or escolar to be more technical). It was a thick and fairly even piece, about an inch thick at the center. Here's what I did with it:

Ingredients
1.l5 fillet Hawaiian Butter Fish
1 T olive oil
about 2 oz. salted butter (local cultured)
1/2 t dried lemon
2 shakes cinnamon (maybe 1/8 t)
three grinds smoked salt (maybe 1/8 t)
two or three grinds black pepper
about 1.5 c shredded cabbage--mix of green and red
fresh marjoram--about 2T of leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Place butter in glass brown and melt in microwave for 30 sec.
3. Add dried lemon, cinnamon, salt, and pepper to butter and whisk. Set aside. Let sit for at least five minutes
4. Brush oil on the bottom of a large rectangular pan-I used a glass lasagna pan.
5. Place fish on pan and brush butter mixture across it. Cover it completely.
6. Sprinkle cabbage in a ring around the fish.
7. Brush the rest of the butter mixture on the fish if any remains.
8. Place in 400 oven for about seven minutes.
9. Turn oven to broil; move fish to broiler until well browned--about 4 or 5 minutes.
10. Return pan to oven and lower to 400. Finish for another 3 to 4 minutes or until opaque throughout.

Serve immediately. I served it with roasted sweet potatoes (They shared the oven.) along with seared and steamed Brussels sprouts tossed with Parmesan cheese. A great February meal.